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Thursday, February 16, 2017

#Interview - Four By Moonlight by Linda Nightingale

Four By Moonlight

by Linda Nightingale

~*~*~*~*~*~Interview with Linda Nightingale:Crystal: Today I have the pleasure of hosting Linda Nightingale. Welcome Linda! I'm so thrilled to have you here today. Would you share a little bit about yourself with us today?

Linda: I have the distinction of being the mother of two wonderful sons. Simon is the graphic artist who designed the cover for Class Act Books for Four by Moonlight. In May, I fly to England to visit my eldest son, Ian, his new wife, and new baby for a month (hope they don’t get tired of me!) I worked as a legal assistant most of my life, held a position with a Circuit Judge in South Carolina, and took a sabbatical working for a wealthy gentleman with an office on Miami Beach. For many years, I was fortunate to share my life with the magnificent Andalusian horse—breeding, training and showing them. I live in Texas with a big, fluffy Ragdoll cat named Spencer.

Crystal: What are you currently working on?

Linda: In 2015, my sci-fi romance Love For Sale was published. LFS is about sentient androids, indistinguishable from human, programmed to love. Not too far fetched given the AI research on humanoid robots that is being conducted now. I’m currently working on the sequel, Life for Sale. It’s finished but needs a lot of nourishing to grow into a publishable novel.

Crystal: Where did you come up with the idea for either your current release or your current WIP?

Linda: I built on the Love For Sale story, taking one of the secondary characters and giving him his own book. LFS was originally a short story and won an award from the Houston Writers Guild. Many years later, I decided to see if I could expand it into a book. The editor asked if I had based it on the Japanese humanoid robots, but I didn’t know about them—doubt they existed then.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite snack that you like to munch on while writing? If so would you mind sharing what it is with us?

Linda:I try not to snack, but when I do, it’s crispy Cheetos turning my fingers orange. My staple drink is sparkling water. I prefer Pellegrino. I also drink coffee in the mornings, and tea during the day. I make a pot of Earl Grey after the coffee and before the Pellegrino.

Crystal: Do you have a favorite scene you would like to share with us?

Linda: Because Four by Moonlight is an anthology, it’s hard to choose one scene—the stories are all so different. I suppose my favorite is from The Night Before Doomsday when the angel Azazel is talking with Noah:

One sunny afternoon in a tense peace, I followed a hammer's tapping to find the Man Noé laboring over the building of a large boat. The shadow of wings raced ahead of me. His faded blue eyes met my curious gaze. Faint music drifted from the village behind me. A dark premonition shuddered over me. Even my wings shook, feathers rustling. An instant of pure fear halted my forward advance.

“’Tis Azazel.” Noe saluted me with a grimy hand, returning to his task, the scent of new wood somehow comforting after the unsettling presentiment.

“How is Magdalene?” He cut me a glance.

Tears burned my eyes. How was Magdalene? Grieving for the loss of the son she’d never had, my bastard son. Every day, I saw sadness take its toll, and died a little with her.

“She is a little under the weather,” I said, turning my attention to Noé’s creation.

I folded my wings about me, trailing my hand along the bow, marveling at the rough genius of the vessel. Indeed, we had taught Man well.

“Prepare, winged one. For forty days, forty nights, the rain will not cease.” The hammer rose and fell. The rhythmic percussion reinforced Noé’s warning. “When the flood recedes, none will stand. He has told me.”

A hard shiver of confirmation shook me. Gooseflesh glazed my arms and legs. A hard tremor passed over my wings, my feathers standing on end like the hair at my nape. “Noé, what is His plan?”

“You don’t know?” He arched his brows. “I should think as an angel…well, perhaps not. Things have changed.” The look he shot me left me in no doubt what things he meant.

I shrugged, wings rising, falling, and schooled the grief from my expression.

“He hasn’t spoken to you for a long time, Azazel?” Noé shook his head. “The plan is hidden from me, but I know what I have to do. Do you know what you must do?”

I shook my head. “I did not know about the flood. I have no idea what my role in this will be.” I hesitated, dreading. “None will stand?”

He struck the wood with his hammer, stopped, and looked at me, his eyes sad. “The waters will consume all.”

I pointed at his boat. “Who will the passengers be?” Was there some faint hope quivering in my voice?

“I’m sorry. No angels or Nephilim. Beasts in pairs and families of the righteous.”

“Goodbye, Noé. God bless.” I turned and forced myself to walk away when I longed to stay and beg for answers, but pride forbade me. A glance over my shoulder framed a memory of Noé, his wood, tools, and the ark in sunshine.

Unwilling to start a panic, I kept my secret the entire day.

Crystal: When you are not busy writing wonderful stories to keep us lucky readers entertained, what do you like to do? Do you have a hobby?

Linda: I love to dress in formal gowns and host dinner parties, the men in tux and the women in glorious dresses, table set with my china and glass. I also enjoy events with the Houston Miata Club. Love those curvy roads!

Though I don’t watch TV a lot, I’ve become addicted to Poldark, Victoria, Lucifer, and Lethal Weapon. I was already a Game of Thrones and Outlander fan. And later than many, earlier than some, I’ve just discovered Vudu.

Crystal:Do you have a favorite background noise you like to having going while you write (TV, Music, kids playing)?

Linda: I like the soundtrack from Last of the Mohicans. Usually, I play the piano (I have a parlor grand with a player system) or softer sounds. I’m easily distracted and avoid background noise.

Crystal: Thanks for visiting. It has been a pleasure having you visit today. Can you think of anything else you would like to share with us today?

Linda:It was my pleasure to visit with you. Thanks so much for having me!

~*~*~*~*~*~BLURB:

An anthology of love in the moonlight…in the paranormal realms…

Gypsy Ribbons – A moonlight ride on the moors and meeting a notorious highwayman will forever change Lady Virginia Darby’s life.

Star Angel – Lucy was stuck in a rut and in an Idaho potato patch. She’d seen him in the corner of her eye—a fleeting glimpse of beauty—now he stood before her in the flesh.

The Night Before Doomsday – All his brothers had succumbed to lust, but Azazel resisted temptation until the wrong woman came along.

Linda Nightingale is a native-born South Carolinian who has lived in England and Canada, and now resides in Texas. Before turning to writing, she bred, trained and showed Andalusian horses for thirteen years.

In 2012, her novel, Gemini Rising, was voted Best Mainstream Novel in the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll. Her vampire romance, Cardinal Desires won the Georgia Romance Writers Magnolia Award in 2013, and that was followed by her science fiction romance, Love for Sale, being awarded Best SF/Fantasy novel of 2015 by the Paranormal Romance Guild’s Reviewer’s Choice, and also voted one of the Top Ten Romance Novels of 2015 by the Preditors & Editors Readers Poll for that year.